Rustenburg Primary School

Jack in his Scout uniform

 I attended the Rustenburg Primary School, which was what could be described as being parallel medium. There were Afrikaans classes and English classes. The number of children attending the Afrikaans Medium far exceeding those attending the English Medium.

My first experience at school was traumatic and was relived in Lichtenburg a couple of years ago, more humorously.

 It happened this way: Our minister started a choir at St Barnabas Church and I was invited with everybody else to attend choir practice.  I shook my head and said: "No, that would not be possible". When asked why, I told the Minister that Mrs Todd would object. He wanted to know who Mrs Todd was.

I explained that when I was in Grade 1, my class, with other classes, would come into a big classroom and the singing lessons would then proceed.  My brother Billy was in Standard 2 and his class joined our class on this particular occasion. Mrs Todd was in charge and set the whole lot of us singing. Billy and I were enthusiastic youngsters and we sang lustily. Before very long, Billy and I were told to leave the singing class and wait outside till the singing was over. Mrs Todd's message came over loud and clear. I have never again opened my mouth to sing.

There were times at the Rustenburg Primary School when we were very, very busy. But I must state as an incontrover-tible fact that our business had absolutely nothing to do with school work or exams.

We also had our seasons and here again the seasons had absolutely nothing to do with the weather.  There was rugby season, cricket season, tennis season "bok-bok" season, the "haas" season, the washer season, marble season, the kite season and "kennetjie" season. 

During the quieter spells we had our fighting season.  I remember such an occasion. One young fellow from the Afrikaans Medium came up with a brilliant idea that there should be a "maroela" fight, and to simplify matters, it was "Die Boere teen die Engelse." ("The Boers against the English.") So it was a case of the "Boere teen die Engelse", but it did not follow the pattern of the Anglo-Boer war. I soon learnt what the gallant Boers must have felt like in the Anglo-Boer War when they were outnumbered and outgunned. The seed of the maroela tree can be a nasty missile and I went home that afternoon nursing a head full of bumps.

But, alas, there were also other kinds of fights. One fine day I was sitting in class, quite innocently, doing nothing and bearing no ill-will to any living person on earth. But Fate had decreed otherwise. I received a little note with the simple words on it: "Do you bang Issy?" ("Are you afraid of Issy?") Now, I had known Issy all my life and we were good friends, but suddenly my honour was at stake and I had no option but to reply in the negative. This was just what the promotor was waiting for and thereafter it was all arranged that the fight would take place immediately after school, next to the old market place. It was a long drawn-out battle and my situation was saved by the appearance of a schoolmaster. I went home and was given a stormy  reception by my mother for being so late - arrived at about three o'clock.

At an early age I learnt that sometimes it pays to gamble. One fine day I was messing about  in the water furrow which flowed through our erf (plot of land). It was crystal clear stream that had its source in the Magaliesberg range about four miles from town. The erven were big in the town and the stream was used by the owners of the town lying more to the east, to irrigate their fruit and vegetable gardens.  

That was the ostensible use of the water , but for small boys it held out endless joys: there were small fish, crabs, tadpoles, frogs and ample space for sailing boats, etc. Whilst happily engaged in one or the other of these pursuits, I noticed three chaps approaching me. One of them  was Tienie Botha who was well known to me as was his brother, Gwara Botha. It was not long before I was asked in a direct way whether I was prepared to take the three of them on.

It was a situation that required quick thinking. I came up with what I consider to this day to be a trump  card. I said that I was not prepared for the three of them, but I would certainly oblige as far as Tienie Botha was concerned, and the biggest of the three boys. I knew Tienie Botha to be a vociferous big jaw youngster and as scared of fighting as I was. I also knew that the biggest of the three would in all probability, on his own, give me a hiding.

However, the gamble paid off and I saw young Tienie shake his head in a determined fashion and I knew that I had won the day, albeit by sleight of hand.

Needless to say, I stayed away from that part of the water furrow for a considerable period. The Bothas lived very close to the High School and the elder brother, Gwara, was quite a character - but more of him later on.